Steam motor vehicle



March 25, 1930. J. A. HARRI n STEAM'MOTOR VEHICLE 2 Sheets-Sheet' 1 Filed Feb. 1l, 1927 inventan vin JL/arfzks ab# nu,

March 25, 1930. .1. A. HARRIS STEAM MOTOR VEHICLE Filed Feb. l1, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 juve/nto@ l @trouwerij Illilll |l| lll .WN QU a `15 driven by an internal combustion engine and able rotary pump 10, which may be directly 65 Y i te mounted preferably upon the front portion ed to deliver suchwater'to the boiler through U0 Patented Mar. 25, 1930 y UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcsY Appucauon area February 11v 1927.' serial in 167,389.

This invention relates to motor` vehicles of the vehicle, is adapted to deliver steam to andrelates particularly t'osteam propelled `the engine 4 through a pipe 6,'and the exmotor vehicles. haust from said engine carried through a pipe An object of the invention is to provide `7 preferably discharges in thev lower portion means upon a vehicle for electrically genera-tof a water tank 8, mounted adjacent to said 55 ing steam for use infpropelling the vehicle, boiler, being condensed through the cooling and'to generate the electrical energy for makaction of the water in said tank. y In` order to ing steam independently of the vehicle proincrease the transferof heatrfrom the exhaust pelling means. steam pipe 'Ito the water, said pipe is formed 10 Another object is to provide means upon a with one or more coils 9finthe tank 8 below7 60 motor vehicle for generating electrical energy the water level therein. fTo minimize any and for using the electrical energy to generpossible back pressure in said exhaust pipe ate steam and for employing the steam to lit is preferred to positively propel thesteam propel the vehicle, the electric generator being through said pipe as for example by a suitthe exhaust of said engine being utilized to connected'to the engine crank shaft 11. supplement the electrical energy in making i FIOIH the lOWel pOltOIl ofthe ,tank @Water steam. .n isv delivered through a, pipe 12to a' pump 13, y A further object is to utilize the exhaust *from* which itis supplied tothe top portion steam in a steam propelled vehicle for preof theV boiler ythrough la feed pipe 14. The 70 heating the water from which the steam is pump 13 be of a high pressure rotary generated. ytype having a suitable drive from the en? A still further object is to provide a steam gine il `1 f propelled vehicle having improved means for 'i As illustrated the two pumps 10 and '1B-are p automatically regulating the water delivery drivenyfrom opposite e'nds of the crank 75 to the boiler. shaft 11.

It is also an object of the'invention to adapt The boiler 5 is adapted to be electrically a steam propelled vehicle to employ a rear heated, a suitable electrical heater 15 being y axle of substantially the form standardized arranged in the upper portion of said boiler, Y 3o for use in gas'driven vehicles. below the outlet of the boiler feed pipe 12. vet* These and various other objects the inven- 16 designates an ordinary electric generator tion attains by the construction hereinafter drivenby-an internal combustion engine 17 described and illustrated in the accompany- `and suitablyconnected to the electric heater ing drawings, wherein 15 to energize the latter asindicated at'18. Figure 1 is a plan view of a vehicle embody- As shown the-engine 17 is mounted forwardly se ing the improved construction. of the boilerbeneath areservoir 19 of fuel Figure 2 is a side View of the same. for Said engine, a suitable shield 2O being Figure 3 is a detailed sectional view of t-he arranged Vabove said engine in spaced relation boiler showing the automatic water-feed regto the bottom of the reservoir, 19, to avoid 4o ulator. undue heating of said reservoir. by the engine. so

In these views the reference character 1 des- The heat 1 of the` exhaust gases from said ignates a rear axle housing, and 2 a pair of engine is utilized to supplementthe electric live axle members adapted to be driven by a heater 15 in makingsteam. Thus an interdierential gearing 3, arranged in the midmediate portion kof 'the exhaust conduit 21 portion of said housing as is common pracof said engine forms coils 22 in the lower1 95' tice. portion of-the boiler.

A steam engine 4 of any suitable construc- The engine 1" Y I 1s preferably alsoV utilized tion and mounted in any'sultable manner has to drive a pump 22a supplied with water vfrom a drive connection to the axle. The boiler 5, the tank 8 through a pipe 22 and being adapta suitable connection 22C. A clutch 22d controlling the drive connection. to said pump from the'engine may be closed to give the boiler its water supply for initially steaming up, and may be opened upon energizing the engine 4 which drives the main water feed pump. a

In4 the case of any generation of steam pressure in the water tank a check valve 23 inthe top of said tank will open to relieve such pressure.

It is preferred to maintain no reserve of water in the boiler, all of the water being flashed into steam by the heater l5 as fast as it is delivered to the boiler. As a provision for automatically limiting they level of any water that may accumulate in case of an over-supply, 'a float arm 2e is pivoted in the lower portion of the boiler and is connected by a push rod 25 to a valve 26 locatedv in an offset4 27 from the upper portion of the boiler and controlling a by-pass leading from the water-feed pipe 14 to the water-tank 8, Between the connection of said by-passwith the feed pipe andthe outlet of said f eed pipe to the boiler a check valve 29 is arranged in the feed pipe to resist any Vhack flow of steam through the feed pipe.' When thewater level a heater disposed in the upper portion of said boiler, means for discharging feed water upon said heater, a second heater spaced below the first mentioned heater, and means for automatically maintaining the water level in said boiler below the lowermost heater.

2. In a vehicle power plant, the combination `with a steam engine, means'for driving a vehicle from said engine, a steam boiler, means for delivering steam to said engine from said boiler, an internal combustion engine, means for transforming the Venergy of said ycombustion engine into heat and for applying such heat tosaid boiler, a pump driven by said steam engine,a pump driven by said internal combustion engine, means for cutting off the drive to the last named pump, and delivery connections from each of said pumps tosaid boiler.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

JOHN A. HARRIS.

rises in the boiler to a pre-determined extent the valve, 26 is opened andthe feed pipe discharges back to the water tank instead of to the boiler. t

'Io eliminate the possibility of the valve 26 being held open through water accumulated in the boiler, at starting, aV drain cock '30 permits any such accumulation to be drained out. Also as another provision for removing any accumulated water from the boiler a pipe connection 3l controlled by a valve 32 is provided between the bottom of the boiler and the water tank, so that when the valve 32 is opened, the steam pressure in the boiler will force 1 any accumulation through said pipe and into the water tank. Preferably the pipe 31 has an upward extention 33 within the water tank rising above the water level therein so as to avoid a flow from the water tank to the boiler when there is no steam pressure in the latter.

Among the advantages of thedeseribed vehicle is the fact that the various pumps and the generator aredriven independently of the rear axle, thus permitting the latter to be of Standard Construction- It is also afeature of fthe invention that no condenser isl required in view of thel` utilization of the reserve supply of water to cool the exhaust steam, this arrangement deriving also headvantage of pre-heatingsaid water.

Energy is also` conserved by utilizing the heat of the exhaust gases from the internal combustion engineto supplement the electric heater inl making steam.

that I claim isz-v In a vehicle power plant, a. steamboiler,

ico 

